Life as a Londoner moves pretty fast. Thankfully there are kind people hatching fantastic new ideas in their quick-thinking skulls to help improve your day-to-day happiness…
A fantastically clever tool (one that we at Secret London are very thankful for!) that will serve as the new shrine to happy hours across the city. Based on location Mappi Hour shows you all the bars in your area and the deals they currently have helping you find the most cost effective way of wetting your beak in bars in London. With ability to filter by day, time and price range as well as reviews from other users of how good a deal you’re really getting this helpful little drinking buddy will surely revolutionise your after work drinks!
2. Adult only slide (it’s in a bar!)
[memoirsofametrogirl]That’s right kids… ooops adults! A new bar in East London has installed a slide connecting the upstairs floor of the building and bringing you out right in front of the bar making ordering another glass of vino a breeze. Trade Union in Wapping is the slide’s new home and also contains a bar, restaurant, barbers and florist which is an underrated combination it has to be said!! So when you really feel like playing after work is done sliiiiide on over to East London for this boozy playground.
3. Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
[instagram]London’s first ever cat cafe is just purrrrrfect. (Sorry we’re better than that)… It’s a feline themed and feline infested tea house that serves primarily as a home for rescues kitties, how apawable! Any London cat lovers will surely leap at this Shoreditch based cafe but it is advised that you booked ahead as there are only so many of these little fluffballs (and tables) to go around!
4. Citymapper London App
[visitlondon]Sorry to be patronising to everyone who already has CityMapper (which is everyone, right?!) Even seasoned Londoners still swear by this nifty tube stalker. It simplifies public transport by providing up to-the-minute information for tube lines, bus routes and even taxi fares. It includes any disruptions or changes to your journey and keeps you up to date with alternative routes to ensure you save as much time possible! It even has it’s own step counter showing you how many calories you’ve burnt whilst trekking to your inevitable replacement bus service – GREAT!
5. Bounce
[timeout]Ever been a bar where your table is actually a PING PONG TABLE? Nope? Ever wanted to?? WE BET YOU HAVE! This funky Holborn bar/restaurant is supposedly set on the very place ping pong was invented and what’s a better way to celebrate this fantastic game then eating, drinking and playing it all night long?! With a faaaabulous selection of antipasti and pizzas for you hungry players bounce is a fun and energetic way of socialising and dining that has fast become one of London’s iconic quirky places.
6. Oyster Card Nails
[Lucie Davis]Stop rummaging around in your bag when you get to the barrier ladies! Lucie Davis, a BA student studying Jewellery at Central St Martin’s, has designed Oyster Card acrylic nails. If anything could epitomise the bemusing phrase ‘on fleek’, these nails certainly would. They’re embedded with an RFID chip, which means that you can swipe, top up and get through the Underground barriers, with the ease of a sassy hand flick. We seriously hope TfL picks up on her designs.
As well as offering Whiskey tasting experiences, The Chesterfield Mayfair are serving up cocktails with an interesting twist. They’re combining booze with science and tech and have introduced 7 new Molecular Cocktails to the menu – so you’re learning something, as well as enjoying a drink. These cocktails are created through methods such as spherification (the process of shaping a liquid into spheres), as seen in the Old and New Era Amaretto Sour. For more information and to see the full menu, check out their website.
We know the world’s been inundated with delivery and takeaway apps now, but Bring It is offering Londoners something a little different. Not only can you order speedy food from your local restaurants and bars, but you can also order groceries that will be delivered in an average of 36 minutes. Take that Amazon! Whether you’re a Tesco, Waitrose or Sainsbury’s shopper, Bring It can pick up you weekly essentials and hand deliver them to your doorstep (even if you do only live round the corner. It’s been a long day – you’re forgiven.)
